At the end of Dayna Macy's insightful new book "Ravenous," we learn how the lifelong food lover--and overeater--has lost over 25 pounds and three sizes.

But the more striking image is of Macy standing in an orchard with her family, eating a ripe orange plucked straight from a tree. After a year of traveling across the country to better understand her complicated relationship with food, Macy finally found peace in one of life's simple pleasures.

"Weight can be gained or lost," she wrote. "Our judgments about our bodies are much harder to lose."

As a food writer, Macy had a deep love for tasty morsels, including chocolate, sausage, cheese and olives. And as a longtime yogi, she knew the benefits of a daily practice. But over the years, Macy steadily gained weight.

At 48, her twin boys were nine years old and she'd been with her husband, Scott, for 20 years. She was a size 18.

"I'm not looking for a perfect body or a perfect way to eat," she wrote. "I'm searching for a relationship with food that brings me greater health, peace of mind, and ease in my skin. At midlife, I'm ravenous for something more than food. I'm hungry for freedom."

Rather than trying diets and willpower, Macy made eating her "practice." To understand where her food and cravings came from, she criss-crossed the U.S. meeting with farmers, food artisans, butchers, a Zen chef, a chocolatier and others. She boldly asks a doctor whether she is "fat." And she tries to visit her childhood home in part to assess the powerful forces of family and tradition.

At one point, Macy goes without food for three days; she learns that cravings pass. She measures her food and finds balance. Getting up to practice yoga at 4:30 a.m., meanwhile, taught her that her mind and body are intimately integrated.

The result is a "weight loss" book to savor: a unique mix of mouth-watering recipes, lyrical food descriptions, thoughtful introspection and helpful ideas for others who may want to make peace with their bodies.

Macy took the time to answer a few of my questions:

JD: I’m so happy I brought an orange for lunch today. The process of writing this and the book itself must be life changing. DM: You are a wise woman. Some people write what they know. I write about what I want to learn more of or understand. For this reason alone, the actual writing of the memoir itself was life altering.

JD: You seem to have such a deep appreciation for good food. Do you think that made it harder to fix your relationship with food? Do you consider it fixed or is it ongoing? DM: I love food and it is not the enemy. First, we need to realize how lucky we are to have enough to eat. Then, we need to put food in its proper place in our lives. Perhaps it is ironic that now that I am more mindful of quantities, I appreciate my food and enjoy it more. And I'm not fixed. I am a work in progress.

JD: How did going without food wake you up? Do you recommend a three-day fast?

DM: First, it made me realize that some of the pictures I have in my mind about food, or about the lack of it, are just that, pictures. I didn’t freak out, at least not for the first day or two, so my picture that I just could not do without food for even a brief period of time was proved false. And if this picture was false, what other pictures about food and my appetite might also be false? I don’t recommend a fast necessarily. I did this as research because I wanted to examine my relationship not only with food but also going without it. For this reason it proved useful to me.

JD: What role does your yoga practice have in your relationship with your body? (I got up this morning at 6 a.m. to do yoga because of your book. It wasn’t 4:30 a.m., but I’m not there yet.)

DM: Yoga is a profound practice and my primary spiritual path. I have found that it helps me inhabit my body, and not just go through life like it’s a second class foot soldier to my general, my brain. Yoga also helps me to observe myself, thereby slowing down the time between thought and action. Thought: I must have that cookie. Action: I eat that cookie. If I can expand the space between thought and action, I have a better chance of making wiser decisions. It also helps me feel immense gratitude for the body I have. Even when I was 30 pounds heavier, my practice, while more difficult, was strong. Yoga gives me a deep respect for all my body is and does.

JD: How did you change your relationship with olives? I know the answer is your book but can you summarize?

DM: When I realized that measuring food and writing it down was not just a diet tool but an actual mindfulness practice, I stopped rejecting (I have an allergic reaction to anything that evokes the word “diet”). I started measuring out five olives (instead of not measuring 25) and that was my portion. It did not come naturally in the beginning. But over time, my portions are, slowly, becoming more self-regulating. Though I still measure, write and do my practice.

JD: Why did you stop reporting what size you were? I assume it was deliberate that we don’t find out where you landed (numbers wise) at the end.

DM: This is an excellent question. I did not mention actual pounds because people have very specific ideas and issues they bring to specific numbers. If I said I was 200 (I wasn’t), people would have one picture. 300, another. 150, another. 130, another. I wanted, rather, to be more of a blank canvas on which readers could investigate their own truths in their own lives. That said, I did feel it was necessary to mention I was a size 18--so people had some point of reference--and ended with saying I lost two clothing sizes, which was a 14, though now I have lost more and am a size 12.

And even saying that will evoke reactions in people. Some will look at a size 12 and think I’m thin, or that they can never be that size. Some will think a 12 is fat. My point is, don't obsess about a specific number and instead, find a range of weight where you feel healthy and satisfied in your skin.

JD: What is the one tip you now pass on to people that helped you most? Obviously the year was filled with lessons, but what do you think would help others? Food journaling? Yoga? Measurement?

DM: For me, the biggest issue was portion control, so, measuring and writing was essential. Yoga for me, has also been essential, as well as moving more. I love walking and weight lifting, but whatever does it for you--swimming, rock climbing, whatever that is. Use your body. That’s what it was built for.

If I could leave my readers with a few larger, more philosophical thoughts it would be these: that when it comes to finding a balanced relationship with food and reaching a healthy weight, struggle may be part of the journey but doesn’t need to define it. This is not a battle and your body is not the enemy. It’s a journey.

I want people to know that habits can change, slowly over time. Have patience, and take the long view.

And finally, be grateful for your body, no matter what your size. Our bodies are only on temporary loan to us, and we need to take care of them because they are the vehicles with which we move through our lives.

JD: Why do so many of us have messed up relationships with food?

DM: Because we’re stressed, we’re rushed. We’re just trying to pay bills, take care of kids, make ends meet. We have no time to cook. Because the processed foods that people eat are engineered to make you want more of the fat, sugar, salt nexus. Because media generated images of skinny people are held up as beautiful and most of us do not have the DNA for that.

If you want your relationship with food to be healthier and better, you need to take the time to tend to it. Cook once or twice a week--foods that you can eat for a few days. I cook a big pot of brown rice and add it to my meals for a couple of days so I know I’m getting whole grains and not just white flour. I also cook a big pot of leafy greens (kale, chard, collards) and add them to stir fries and other dishes for several days so I know I’m eating these essential vegetables. If you know you’re going to get hungry at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, be prepared with a fruit, some nuts, a small piece of cheese, whatever it is. Make the time to take care of your needs in a thoughtful, respectful manner.

JD: What did you and Ana Forrest have in common? What did you learn from her?

DM: We are both truth seekers. I respect many things about Ana but it’s mostly her unique combination of ferocity and kindness that has been useful in my yoga and in my life. Ferocity, to go after what I want and seek the truth even though it might be difficult, and kindness because no deep transformation can happen without it.

JD: Do you think more doctors should call a spade a spade and use the "fat" word? Or did it only work for you because you trusted her?

DM: I trusted Dr. Bacon and she meant the "fat" word clinically and with no judgment. Had I felt judgment in her words I would have closed up like a clam. There are clinical definitions of overweight, fat and obese, and these terms are useful, but the message must be relayed with kindness. If it’s not, it’s just shaming and not helpful.

JD: You now look at eating as a practice, like yoga. Explain what you mean.

DM: Practice is an underrated idea in our culture. We want immediate gratification, and change, right now. I realized that anything in life I’ve wanted to accomplish--my yoga practice, writing my book--I’ve had to practice at. I didn’t one day use my willpower to sit in lotus, or one day, just write a book. I practiced hip openers, I wrote magazine articles, year after year I did my work and then, I did lotus and wrote a book.

Why should my relationship with food be any different? I’m not one day just going to wake up and be "fixed" or "cured." Rather, I work at things slowly, take the long view, practice my measurements, my clear seeing, and eventually, over time, I am now 30 pounds lighter and much freer.